No Hop Brew

[Arpeggiator]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to pass on a great brew I had (with a twist). It was at the green Flash Brewery the other day and is a scottish gruit called Hop-less (hamilton's 3rd anniversary). Instead of adding hops for bittering and aroma, they use various herbs such as rose hips, heather, gale, yarrow, spruce, and rosemary. It's no IPA, but was a great brew with great flavor!

 

[JefeTheVol]

very cool...im intrigued
-jefe-

 

[Falcor]

eeeewwwwwww

 

[Homercidal]

I tried a "Grassroots Ale" from a company the other day and it was fairly nasty. I'm sure others would enjoy it, but after a few swallows I did not like it. I choked the bottle down though, because I paid for it...

I can't remember who brewed it. It might even have had some hops in it. I can't remember. Some of those other herbs were a bit much IMO.

 

[SDSUmudman]

Do they only have this beer at the Green Flash Brewery or are they distributing it around San Diego? This brew sounds intriguing and i want to try it.

Thanks!

 

[scrambledegg81]

Do they only have this beer at the Green Flash Brewery or are they distributing it around San Diego? This brew sounds intriguing and i want to try it.

Thanks!

Ditto-definitely interested if it's in my neck of the woods.

 

[dunnright00]

I've had Green Flash brew, but never been to the brewery. Where they at?

 

[Revvy]

I think Flyangler has a couple gruit recipes on here.

 

[flyangler18]

I think Flyangler has a couple gruit recipes on here.

Nope - no gruit recipes! I've actually never brewed one, although I've been tempted many a time.

 

[GuitarBob]

It's so hard to find gruit recipes. There is just so little information out there.

What I would love to find is some sort of comparison between the bitterness given off by various herbs, and the bitterness given off by various hops. Then it would be easy to craft your own gruit recipes.

P.S. How come there isn't a gruit catagory in the recipes section?

 

[GuitarBob]

I tried a "Grassroots Ale" from a company the other day and it was fairly nasty. I'm sure others would enjoy it, but after a few swallows I did not like it. I choked the bottle down though, because I paid for it...

I can't remember who brewed it. It might even have had some hops in it. I can't remember. Some of those other herbs were a bit much IMO.

Great lakes makes it. I've heard from friends that it's nasty, but now I'm tempted to try it and see for myself.

 

[CaptYesterday]

I tried a "Grassroots Ale" from a company the other day and it was fairly nasty. I'm sure others would enjoy it, but after a few swallows I did not like it. I choked the bottle down though, because I paid for it...

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Even the bartenders at the brewpub don't recommend that beer.

The one and only time I tried it, I couldn't finish it. It tasted like creamed corn and asparagus and had a sickly sweet sugary aroma. It is the worst beer that I have ever tasted.

 

[Homercidal]

Yes, that is it. First swallow or two was ok, but after a few more, I was like... Ugh... Not! The flavors were recognizable, but ended up not being good in beer.

 

[Doog_Si_Reeb]

P.S. How come there isn't a gruit catagory in the recipes section?

That's a great question. My next brew is going to be a gruit. I received my herbs from Brewmaster's Warehouse yesterday. So far I have Sweet Gale, Heather, and Mugwort. I will probably get some Yarrow too. I am totally winging it with the recipe formulation with the exception of using www.gruitale.com as a reference. It's going to be dark wintery and hopefully palatable. I'm going to brew 4 gallons and bottle it for lengthy aging.

It would be nice to hear from some people that have brewed gruits what quantities of various herbs/spices are necessary for bitterness and flavor.